Steganography Text Tool

Hide secret messages inside normal text using invisible characters

0Secret Chars

Hidden Secret Message

Encryption / Decryption Key

Key is mandatory for revealing hidden messages.

Conceal one message inside another

Steganography hides the existence of a message rather than only scrambling it. This tool appends your secret to a piece of normal-looking text as a run of invisible Unicode characters. To a casual reader the result looks identical to the cover sentence, yet the secret can be recovered with the right key. It is a fun demonstration of how much can hide in plain text.

Hiding a message

Open the Hide Message tab.
Write the text everyone will see in Visible Cover Text. If left empty, the words Confidential Message are used. The Sample button fills in a quote, a secret and a sample key.
Type your note in Hidden Secret Message.
Enter a key in Encryption / Decryption Key. It is required.
Press Protect Message, then Copy Result.

Revealing it

Switch to the Reveal Message tab.
Paste the text containing the hidden data into the box and enter the same key.
Press Reveal Message. A matching key returns the secret under a success heading; a wrong key produces a warning and garbled characters.

How the hiding works

The secret gets a short signature derived from your key placed in front of it, is combined with the key using a repeating XOR, converted to binary, and then each 0, 1 and space is swapped for one of three zero-width characters: zero-width space, zero-width non-joiner and zero-width joiner. That string is added after the cover text. Because each byte becomes eight invisible characters, even a short secret makes the pasted text noticeably longer in byte terms.

Reasonable uses

Marking a copy of a document so you can prove where a leaked snippet came from.
Puzzle hunts and classroom demonstrations of Unicode tricks.
Sending a private note in a public chat as a game between friends.

Serious limitations

Do not treat this as real encryption. XOR with a repeating key is easy to break, and the embedded signature gives an attacker a check for guessed keys. Many apps, forms and social networks strip zero-width characters when text is pasted or saved, which destroys the hidden data, so test the round trip in the channel you plan to use. The binary conversion assumes each character fits in one byte, so use plain Latin text for both secret and key; other scripts and emoji may not decode correctly. Anyone who knows to inspect the text for invisible characters can spot that something is hidden, even without the key. Processing happens in your browser.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How does the tool hide text without showing it?

It converts your secret into binary and represents the bits with zero-width Unicode characters that have no visible width. Those characters are appended after the cover text, so the text looks unchanged but contains a hidden payload.

Is this real encryption?

No. The secret is combined with your key using a simple repeating XOR, which offers only light obfuscation. A signature also lets someone check key guesses. Do not use it for anything truly confidential; use proper encryption software instead.

Why does my hidden message disappear after pasting?

Many websites, messengers and editors strip zero-width characters when text is pasted or saved, which removes the payload. Test the full hide-and-reveal round trip in the exact channel you plan to use before relying on it.

What happens if I enter the wrong key when revealing?

The tool detects that the embedded signature does not match, shows a Key Mismatch warning, and displays the decoded result, which will usually look like random characters. Use the same key that was entered when hiding the message.

Can I hide emoji or non-English text?

Not reliably. The conversion assumes single-byte characters, so use basic Latin letters, numbers and punctuation for both the secret and the key. Characters outside that range may fail to decode correctly.